"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."Daniel 12:3

Brothers & Sisters, perhaps God will place someone in your path today because He wants you to be a light so that his or her life might be turned around! With the greatest harvest fast approaching, each of us is called to the mission field – the one right outside our door! BE A GLIMMER OF HOPE!

"Now it came to pass after these things that God tested (Hebrew word len-a-sot, to try) Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."Genesis 22:1 ; "Then Jesus lifted up [His] eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test (Hebrew word, lenasot, to try) him, for He Himself knew what He would do."John 6:5-6 ; "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (nisayon (noun form of lenasot)), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."James 1:2-4

The testing of Abraham's faith was repeated by God throughout the patriarch's entire life. The tests grew greater as his life advanced, and through every one, whether Abraham passed or not, God proved Himself to be his friend over and over again. Every test or "trial" involved a serious challenge or threat in which Abraham had to trust that the LORD knew what He was doing, asking, or requiring, and that His goodness and faithfulness were unquestionably reliable. This type of testing or trying of faith is displayed throughout the Scriptures. In an entirely different setting Jesus asked His disciple Philip a question, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" The purpose of the question was simply to try Philip's faith. James, the Lord's brother, speaks of the "testing of our faith", as well. Though we often think of this testing in negative terms, James exhorts us to "count it all joy", never mind that it's virtually certain there will be little pleasure in the experience of any trial. The fact is that trials function as experiments, and experiences, which serve to prove and improve our faith. In the Hebrew New Testament the word for "trial" is "ni-sa-yon", which also happens to be the word for "experience" and "experiment". So the trials we experience are literally, experiments upon our faith. And while it is clear that God Himself does not tempt us, we also know that He allows our faith to be proven by experience, and experimentally verified. Faith is not based on experience; it is based on revelation from God. But it's genuineness is tested by experience. And it ought to be growing through every trial, producing a deeper comprehension of God's faithfulness. Brothers & Sisters, your faith is being proved to be genuine through testing and trial; experimentally and experientially, just as was the faith of Abraham, Philip, and every true saint of the Lord. For while faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen -- it will be proven in, by, and through the very hard experiences and realities of your life. This is not accidental but very much in the plans and purposes of the Lord. EXPERIENCE IT!

"Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted (me-u-neh). But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed."Isaiah 53:4-5; "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone."Hebrews 2:9 ; "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."Hebrews 12:2 ; "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."Romans 8:16-18

When I studied Isaiah 53 earnestly,I was taken back by the Hebrew word for "afflicted" In modern Hebrew this word means "tortured". When I was young, and first learned what torture actually involved, my soul was shocked that this could happen to people; in fact that it was happening to people. That a person could be kept alive for the purpose of intentionally causing him intense agonizing pain was an astounding enigma for my young soul. It really frightened me; and I think that fear of torture is probably the greatest fear that humans can experience. We read about people who have been tortured, with a kind of horrified awe. And quietly we wonder inside, "How can this be?" And, "Could this ever happen to me?" Crucifixion was a form of torture which the ancient Romans used frequently. And while I had a concept of the suffering that our Messiah endured for us, for some reason the understanding that He was tortured for our iniquities brought my awareness to a new level. I did not begin to appreciate or fathom the suffering Messiah went through. His identification with our suffering and our sin was total, and His experience of this torture so fully absorbed Him that He experienced what must have felt like infinite isolation and pain. Somehow, this is a deep comfort; to know that the Son of God understands by experience, torture and suffering unthinkable. But then, I suddenly realized that I also could not begin to comprehend the glory that awaited Him after His suffering. And that His suffering purchased for me a portion in that glory as well. It was the other side of the story, and somehow, these two extremes complement one another; suffering, and glory. The apostle Paul states his revelation about our sufferings with almost light-hearted conviction; that they are not even “worthy” to be compared with the glory that awaits us. This, to me, could be the most amazing promise in all of scripture. Brothers & Sisters, suffering is everywhere, a constant part of this life; it may be you, or someone you love, or people you don't even know but are agonizing over and praying for. This world casts suffering in every direction at every level of intensity. But all of it, every flaming ounce of it has been successfully absorbed into the body of Jesus the Messiah. He was tortured for us – suffered death for us – so that our sufferings are trifles in the light of eternity. It's been said this way: from heaven the most miserable earthly life will look like one bad night in a cheap hotel. Thank the Lord. HE UNDERSTANDS OUR SUFFERINGS MORE THAN YOU KNOW!

"The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes."Psalms 118:22-23 ; "Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily."Isaiah 28:16 ; "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."John 15:18

These first two scriptures are speaking of the same "Stone", the prophesied Messiah (Jesus), the "head of the corner". This stone is laid in Zion, a common synonym for Jerusalem, where mount Zion rests. The stone is "tried", that is, tested in every way that a stone can be; the stone is precious and excellent to be set as a sure, reliable, accurate, even everlasting foundation, and a stone which is prepared and set in place by God, Himself. Can you think of a "Stone" more perfect or beautiful than our Messiah? Yet this same "stone" is rejected by the "builders"; but also believed in by others, who will not act hastily. The Hebrew word for "rejected", “ma-as”,is also denoted by it. So the "Messiah", the "Chief Cornerstone" of God is spurned, abhorred, held in contempt, and rejected. Now the builders are the ones who ought to know a good stone for building when they see one. They're responsible for the quality of the building. But this precious cornerstone is abhorred and cast away by them; very sad and irresponsible. Yet the prophet clearly predicts this stone will become the "Chief Cornerstone", even though rejected by the builders -- and that it will be marvelous in the eyes of some...and these will not "make haste"; the Hebrew "chuwsh" means to hurry, or even "to flee in alarm". Apparently these, who believe, will be at peace, they will be relaxed. Brothers & Sisters, the Lord Jesus said that our identification with Him would cause us to be hated and rejected too. And in this world there are quite a few modern "builders" who have also rejected the "Chief Cornerstone", so we can expect that they will reject and abhor us who belong to Him. But the prophet said that believers in this Precious Cornerstone will not make haste, or flee in terror; instead, their belief, their faith, their trust will make them relaxed. Is that you? REJECTED? RELAX...

" And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."Genesis 2:7 ; "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man."1 Corinthians 15:49 ; "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."John 4:14 ; " And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."Revelation 21:6

The first man was called "Ah-dom", we know him as "Adam". The word used for "man", as in "mankind", in Genesis 1, is also the same word – "Ah-dom". "Ah-dom" is rooted in the three Hebrew letters, aleph-dalet-mem, and one of the Hebrew words for earth is "Adamah", which contains the same three letters, however it ends with the Hebrew letter "hay". "Adamah" means "red earth", or "red clay", and this word points to the natural earth elements, the "earth dust" that composed Adam’s body, and the body of every human being since. "Man" is "ah-dom", in a very real sense, "clay". If a piece of clay is to become anything, it has to be molded – and to be moldable it must become wet. Clay has a tendency to dry out quickly and become hardened, and once that happens, there's not much you can do with it. Since we are "ah-dom", made of clay, we are in constant need of water. This is true both physically, and also spiritually. Our bodies need a constant resupply of water to stay alive and function well. Our spirits also need "water", the "water" of the Word [Ephesians 5:26]. If we are constantly drinking this water of the word, our faith, which comes by hearing [Romans 10:17] will result in a magnificent promise from Jesus: "He that believes in me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water!" This water of His Word welling up through His Spirit will prevent us from becoming dry and hardened, and will enable us to "water" others, even to be, ourselves, a spring of living water. Brothers & Sisters, drink from the water of life. You don't want to become a hardened vessel, easily cracked or broken. Soak yourself in Him and in His word, so that God will keep you moldable, useful, and "drinkable" by others. Water is necessary, but it is also deeply refreshing, and Jesus's living water springs up, even to eternal life! DON'T DRY OUT!

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men,but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."1 Peter 2:13-17

Sometimes I saw how politics could get ugly and, more often than not, how it changed people -- not for the better...but often for the worse! Always when the elections are about to be held in my country, there have been some outrageous attacks. And sadly, I feel pretty sure these attacks will only intensify in the days before elections. Nevertheless, I'm encouraged! Why? Because, often, the enemy's destructive intentions and attacks become God's means for testimony and victorious proclamation! Let me give you an example: during the period of history known as "the enlightenment", the "enlightened" philosopher, Voltaire, proclaimed that within twenty-five years the Bible would be forgotten and Christianity would be a thing of the past. Forty years after his death in 1778, Voltaire's house was purchased, and used to print Bibles and other Christian literature. Such is the irony of one man's prophetic folly. His own house became God's platform for proclaiming the message that Voltaire despised. I suggest we may once again witness such an irony in our countries. Brothers & Sisters, don't let the political season shape you for the worse, with bitterness, mockery, sarcasm, rancor, etc... -- but rather, transform the political landscape by who you are -- a king and a priest of the Most High! Be a confident, respectful, and quietly shining beacon of light in this dark (political) world, and continue to pray the Lord's guiding hand upon the leaders who face the tremendous responsibilities and challenges ahead! SHAPING & RESHAPING POLITICS!

"If you will not believe, surely you will not be established."Isaiah 7:9b

This passage in Isaiah contains a poetic play on words which is lost to any reader but one who understands Hebrew. A word for word translation runs something like this: “If not you will believe (lo ta-aminoo), surely not you will be established (lo te-amenoo).” The three letter Hebrew root – "aleph"- "mem"- "nun", is the same in both words, and the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah is clearly playing on this root to emphasize His point. The same root letters are also used in the spelling for the familiar word "Amen" which literally means "truthfully". A study of the root of the Hebrew word for "Amen" reveals numerous related meanings: "le-heet-amen", "to practice or exercise" and "le-ha-amin", "to believe". And finally the same root is found in the Hebrew word for "faith", "emunah". Simply through the inter-relationships of these similarly rooted words it's not hard to see that real faith is intimately connected to real practice or exercise. James put it simply, "Faith without works is dead". True faith is active faith, practicing faith, faith that is exercised-- and finally, faith that is truthful. Brothers & Sisters, this passage speaks of being established. How are you established in your walk? By practicing and exercising your faith truthfully...simple as that. Can you say "Amen" to that? CAN YOU LIVE OUT AN AMEN?!